At some point Hamburg became too small for Olaf Scholz, Berlin called. But before the mayor rose to become finance minister, vice chancellor and later federal chancellor, he left his homeland with the prospect of a particularly large house. The Elbphilharmonie opened in early 2017 with a slight delay. In February 2018, shortly before his move, Scholz presented the Elbtower in the Kaisersaal of the town hall.
In the meantime, construction is allowed, but for the time being the resistance is growing. As usual with larger projects. The Elbtower on the Elbe bridges is to be 245 meters high, it would be the tallest office building in the Hanseatic city and number three in Germany. The architect is David Chipperfield, the client is the Signa Group of the Austrian René Benko. With a bit of imagination, the design looks like an elegantly twisted boot. The tower will become part of the work of art in Hamburg, said Scholz at the presentation. Some Hamburgers, however, find that the tower does not fit into Hamburg’s work of art.
Some rave about a “new architectural landmark” that is supposed to crown Hafencity after 20 years. “Statement and understatement”, say the developers, “Hamburg rising above itself.” Others are less convinced that Hamburg has to surpass itself in the era of home office and climate protection. There is talk of megalomania, of a monster, a giant phallus. A left-wing representative described the Elbtower as the “Olaf Scholz memorial tower”, which was completely superfluous and only fit into the investor’s wallet, not into the city silhouette.
Compared, for example, to Frankfurt’s Mainhattan with its bank towers, the Hamburg skyline is traditionally discreet, behind the water and the harbor characterized by churches such as the Michel, the town hall and, for some time now, the Elphi with its corrugated roof. In the future, only the antennas of the Hamburg television tower would be higher than the Elbtower, which the custodians consider inappropriate.
Architecture critics and a pastor were “worried about our Hanseatic Hamburg” last December. They think a referendum is needed to legitimize the Elbtower. One or the other doubter wonders why 64 floors and 100,000 square meters of floor space are needed. Even more so in this place. Above all, offices are to be included, as well as rooms for fitness, wellness, co-working, as well as restaurants and hotels, which were founded by US actor Robert de Niro.
According to reports, this will cost around 700 million euros, possibly more. Entrepreneur and Karstadt owner Benko also owns other properties in Hamburg. Word also got around that the billionaire manages many of his companies through companies in Luxembourg. For a building permit, 30 percent of the tower area should be rented. Even SPD members of parliament were surprised when it suddenly became known in March 2022 that the building permit had already been granted. There will be a viewing platform on the upper floors. If the Elbtower aka Scholzturm is actually finished, you will be able to look down on old Hamburg from around 2025.